London Marathon 2010:' Give up? I'd rather die trying'

Laura Donnelly meets some of the people who have overcome physical and mental
trauma to run this week's London Marathon.

Kirste SnellgrovePhoto: DANIEL JONES

By Laura Donnelly

7:00AM BST 19 Apr 2010

When the starting gun fires for Sunday's London Marathon, thousands of runners will take a deep breath, and make one last private plea for their day to end in victory.

Among them will be cancer sufferer Kirste Snellgrove, who ran the 26.2 miles last April, four weeks after undergoing chemotherapy. The policewoman from Essex was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago at the age of 35. Since then, she has run 15 marathons. She ran last year's event after learning the disease had spread to her lungs. On Sunday, she will run again.

Since finishing last year's race, Miss Snellgrove has undergone further surgery, chemotherapy and drug treatment. The possibility of not running the 30th London event never entered her mind.

"When I was diagnosed with cancer, the first thing I asked my consultant was: 'Can I still run?'" says Ms Snellgrove. "The consultant said 'Yes, but no marathons.' I had other ideas."

After winning her doctor over, she returned to the sport. "I underestimated how important running was to me," she says.

"When I was diagnosed with cancer, I realised I needed it. It keeps me sane and gives me strength for the fight." Running bolsters her mental resilience. "I can banish the thoughts about cancer."

She has not asked her doctors what her long-term prognosis is, instead focusing on raising funds for breast cancer charities, and for her local hospital in Southend.

"I don't ask and they don't say. I have accepted my lot, but I want to do what I can with my life," she says. She will be raising money for the charity Breast Cancer Campaign (www.justgiving.com/TeamSnellgrove)

Miss Snellgrove is one of four on the shortlist for this year's Jane Tomlinson Inspiration Award, organised by Runner's World magazine in memory of the Yorkshirewoman who raised almost £2million for charity.

Also nominated is Major Phil Packer, who lost the use of his legs and is now a paraplegic after a rocket attack in Iraq in 2008. The soldier took 13 days to complete the London course last year, just a month after he started to walk again using crutches. This year, the 37-year-old hopes to cross the line in 26 hours, raising funds for Help for Heroes (www.justgiving.com/philsmillion)

Major Packer has also skydived with the Red Devils and rowed across the English Channel.

Why, when their physical health has been threatened, do some people subject their bodies to such endurance feats? Andy Barton, who provides mental coaching to athletes, says this forms a response to feelings of powerlessness sparked by such a crisis. "People often choose to do something like a marathon not just to build strength, but to reassert control over a body they perceive as having failed them," he says.

For others, a marathon is the last thing they want to do. "People can go one of two ways," says Barton. "Some will feel frightened to do anything that increases the risks. Others decide to embark on a major challenge."

That was the experience of Hayley Martin, from Cheshire, after she suffered a heart attack last August aged 39. Ten days after being discharged from hospital, she took part in a 10k race against medical advice, still wearing her NHS identity band.

Although scans have shown that half of her heart is now made up of scar tissue, and doctors have cautioned against strenuous exercise, she is determined to run on Sunday, in aid of the deaf and blind charity Sense (www.virginmoneygiving.com/hayleyjanemartin-1)

Having battled with anxiety since she was a teenager, Miss Martin had found in running a way to cope with stress. "I felt if I gave up running, it would set me on a different road, living my life in fear of every heartbeat. I am an all-or-nothing sort of person, and in the end, if it is a choice between giving up and taking a risk, I'd rather die trying."

It is the sort of mantra that concerns Prof Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation. The cardiologist worries most about the average unhealthy Brit who decides to take on a major challenge. One in three people who have had a heart attack never suffer a warning symptom, he points out, and the stresses of an endurance event can provide a lethal trigger.

"A lot of people sign up to a marathon and treat it as a one-off, when they would be better off doing half an hour's exercise every day."

For many, the psychological boost of the marathon is the ultimate prize. Ian Curry, 29, suffered a mental breakdown in 2005 when he was working as a City lawyer. Medication caused major weight gain. He signed up for last year's London Marathon in an attempt to lose four stone. The weight fell off – but the benefits for his mental health came as "a really great surprise".

Mr Curry says: "After a stressful day, I can get out on the streets and after 15 minutes my mind has cleared." As a result, his medication has been reduced and he hopes to come off it altogether. The solicitor from north London is raising money for the mental health charity Mind (ukvirginmoneygiving.com/IanCurry).

Endurance events can set many lives back on track, says Mind spokesperson Bridget O'Connell. "If your life feels out of control, a clear goal and a set of milestones can really help to turn things around," she says.

"Exercise can improve your mental resilience and boost your mood, and completing the marathon boosts your confidence. It adds up to a great prescription for health."